An Almost Perfect Holiday

by Lucy Diamond

  Em stopped again, because Izzie was giving her a look. ‘I’m going,’ she said, ducking out of the room again with a smile. Then she went along and knocked on Jack’s door. ‘Looks like it’s just me and you this afternoon, kid,’ she said to him. ‘Any ideas?’

  The earlier rain had blown right away and the sun shone over the south-west for the next few hours, gilding the corn fields, glittering off the rivers as they wound down to the sea, and prompting sunglasses and sun-cream applications everywhere.

  Following their zip-slide adrenalin rush – and yes, they did buy the souvenir photos and fridge magnet – Maggie and Amelia tried a terrifying giant swing that had them both shrieking as they swung out from a cliff edge at dizzying height. After a restorative ice cream, they ventured to the go-karts where Maggie found herself laughing so hard, she could hardly breathe. I’ve got my girl back, she thought joyfully as Amelia took a selfie of them together afterwards. Even better, I think I might have got myself back too.

  Em and Jack, meanwhile, had gone to an aqua park and, despite her initial qualms about squeezing into a wetsuit (Christ!), they ended up having a brilliant time. There was nothing like bouncing on giant inflatables, flinging yourself from an enormous catapult and skidding about on a huge trampoline in the middle of a lake to sweep away the last traces of a hangover. Not to mention the deeply rewarding glow that came from hearing your son say, ‘This has been one of the best days ever in my life.’

  Meanwhile, on the waterfront in Falmouth, Izzie and Fraser were practising the fine art of kissing. They were getting pretty good at it, even if they did have to pause for breath now and then. I approve, thought Izzie, swooning a little as she smiled into his gorgeous brown eyes. I totally approve. The group-chat leaderboard might have been abandoned now, but even so, she could still hear the points ringing in for her: win win win win WIN.

  Further east, Olivia, Mack, Stanley and Harry had spent quite some time in the playground. The swings and slides had had a rigorous testing out and there had been much laughter. There was talk of driving out to find fish and chips for tea, and then the boys wanted Mummy and Daddy to bath them back at the hotel, all of which sounded good to Olivia. She was looking forward to the four of them snuggling on the huge double bed later on and quietly counting her blessings. According to Mack, you could get cocktails sent up via room service, which they were totally planning to try out, once the boys were asleep.

  Lorna and Roy hadn’t gone anywhere, but they still felt as if they were on a journey. Had this been a normal day, they would have been cleaning Mawnan Cottage following Olivia’s departure, ready for the new couple who were due to arrive tomorrow for a two-week stay. However, this was not a normal day and so instead they’d been sitting at the dining-room table, filling in an online form for the Adoption Agency together. It seemed as if they were on the brink of something truly momentous. ‘Oh, I hope we can find him,’ Lorna fretted every now and then, but Roy squeezed her hand each time, sure and steady. ‘We will,’ he said. ‘However long it takes, we’ll find him.’

  Epilogue

  SEVERAL MONTHS LATER

  ‘This is it,’ said Roy, indicating to turn into the car park and then reversing into a space.

  Lorna’s heart felt as skittery as a newborn lamb. Without knowing it, she had waited years for this moment and yet, now that they were here and the moment was about to happen, she was no longer sure she was ready at all. What if he didn’t like her? What if she had built her hopes up for nothing and he wasn’t interested? Would he even turn up?

  She was worried too that she would overreact and overwhelm him with the love she already felt for him. You’re not going to smother the lad now, are you? Roy had asked her when they’d first made contact. Of course I’m not! she had tutted in response, but they both knew what she was like. Oh, she was desperate to love him, though! How she hoped he would let her.

  She flipped down the passenger mirror for one last application of lipstick, fretting suddenly that she was wearing the wrong outfit, that she should have picked something dressier for the occasion. What were you supposed to wear anyway, the first time you met your long-lost grandson? She felt as if there should be trumpets playing a fanfare for his arrival. A master of ceremonies overseeing the whole situation. It seemed almost as life-changing as her own wedding.

  ‘You look fine,’ said Roy, as if reading her mind. Perhaps he noticed the pulse that seemed to be beating double-time at her throat. The plucking of her hands at a wrinkle in her skirt. ‘Shall we go in then? We’re five minutes early, so if you’d rather sit here and have a panic we could do that instead, though.’

  She huffed at him for teasing her when this was such a huge day, such a big deal. That was Roy’s coping mechanism, though, just as flapping and worrying were hers. They made a right pair, honestly. ‘Let’s go in,’ she said, pressing her lips together, then blotting them on a tissue. She glanced again in the mirror and wrinkled her nose at herself. When had she got so old? Well, she’d just have to do.

  Leon Andrew Waterford, that was his name: her nineteen-year-old grandson. He was studying physics at Glasgow University, but had spent the summer inter-railing around Europe, picking up bits of work here and there apparently, which was why it had taken them this long to be able to meet. He was now back home in Bournemouth, spending a few weeks with his adoptive parents before he returned to Scotland for his second year. The three of them were meeting today in a pub just outside Plymouth – neutral ground for everyone concerned.

  It seemed to take forever to walk the short distance to the pub entrance. It was a smart whitewashed building, with baskets of trailing pink petunias hanging outside and blackboards propped up advertising their lunch menu and that night’s fish specials. Lorna’s hands felt clammy as she and Roy reached the door. She hoped Leon wouldn’t be there yet, so that she could have a cup of tea and compose herself – but then changed her mind in the next moment. Of course she hoped he was already there! How would she be able to wait any longer?

  It hadn’t taken them long to track him down, once they had filled in the various forms and sent them off. Finding out his name had been like being handed the key to a treasure chest full of riches – thanks to the Internet, they had been able to track Leon’s life through the years: from swimming galas he’d competed in, to pictures in the Bournemouth newspaper of his school play and GCSE celebrations . . . As for the photographs of him, Lorna had burst into tears the first time she saw one, because he had exactly the same dark shaggy hair and shy smile as Aidan. Two peas in a pod. It was a miracle.

  Of course Lorna was biased, but he did sound a remarkable young man: handsome and talented, a prize-winning swimmer, a gifted student. He had made it to university, just as Aidan should have done, and by all accounts was enjoying himself there. What an accomplished lad he seemed! She hadn’t even met him yet, but could already burst with pride whenever she reflected on all his achievements. His adoptive parents had done a good job, clearly. Perhaps even a better job than two grieving grandparents might have done. Whichever, she felt nothing but gratitude towards them for loving him and looking after him while she’d been oblivious to his existence.

  We’ve found him, she had texted Olivia, with links to the photos and other pieces of information. This is him. Your boy. Our boy! Isn’t he handsome?

  Olivia had phoned her, almost immediately. ‘Oh my goodness,’ she had said. ‘Doesn’t he look like Aidan? Isn’t he gorgeous?’ She’d sounded emotional, as if she was struggling to take the news in. ‘He’s a real person,’ she’d added, her voice cracking. ‘I know that sounds silly – of course he’s a person, he’s a nineteen-year-old young man! – but he’s never quite seemed real in my head before. He’s been frozen in time for me, a crying baby being taken away from my arms. Until now.’

  ‘We’re going to try and meet him soon,’ Lorna had replied, unable to stop looking at the pictures in front of her. ‘How about you? Will you want to get in touch too, do you think?’
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br />   There had been a pause, when Lorna could imagine Olivia glancing around her home – the place she shared with her own small family – and weighing up the consequences. ‘Yes,’ she said eventually. ‘If he wants to, that is.’

  Lorna had promised to report back after their meeting today. She and Roy had been on tenterhooks for the last few weeks, able to think of nothing else but how it would go.

  ‘You know, I’ve been wondering,’ Roy had said yesterday, when they’d been cleaning Briar Cottage in readiness for a new set of guests. Now into mid-September, the holiday season was beginning to slow, with the children back at school and the weather just starting to turn. ‘If Aidan hadn’t died, would he and Olivia even have gone ahead and had Leon, do you think? Or would they have decided that they were far too young to settle down at that point? Because maybe . . . well, it’s horrible to dwell on now, but they might have decided they didn’t want a baby. Leon might not have made it this far. If you know what I mean.’

  Lorna had winced, not sure she wanted to imagine that outcome. And yet Roy had a point. With a terrible irony, it was perhaps only through losing Aidan that Leon had come into the world at all. Realistically, Aidan probably wouldn’t have wanted his own child at the age of eighteen, just as Olivia hadn’t – the possibility of having both Aidan and Leon in the world might not even have existed. Gaining a grandson would never make up for losing a son, but it was definitely a consolation.

  It had been a summer of revelations, all in all. She and Olivia had been in touch several times since July, and the younger woman sounded much happier and more settled these days. Lorna and Roy were going to travel to Bristol next month, actually, to visit Olivia and her family, and Lorna was very much looking forward to it. She’d had some lovely cards and messages from happy holidaymakers too – one lady whose boyfriend had proposed to her at the cottage, a couple who’d celebrated their Silver Wedding anniversary there, and a woman who wrote the loveliest note saying that she and her teenage daughter had really connected on their holiday for what felt like the first time all year. Oh yes, and there had been one very funny review left on the booking site, from a lady called Em: My relationship might have wobbled, my kids had umpteen dramas, but the cottage was still so beautiful and homely we ended up having the most wonderful family holiday together. Perfect!

  Who could ask for more? When you had such nice messages and feedback, it did really make you feel good about what you did. And, of course, she and Roy would be off on their own holiday very soon: a two-week cruise around the Mediterranean. She had bought a new swimming costume and everything for the occasion. It was going to be heavenly!

  But enough of all that. She was walking into the pub now, her heart in her mouth, scanning the people at the bar and wondering if her grandson was already waiting for her.

  Roy nudged her. ‘Do you think that’s him?’

  Lorna turned in the direction he was pointing, to see a young man with dark hair and broad shoulders rising from a seat in the corner. He looked as tall as his dad had been and had the same way of standing with a slightly tilted head, glancing at them through lashes every bit as thick and sooty as Aidan’s. It was him all right. She would have known him anywhere. Every cell in her body reacted to the sight of him. Is that you? It’s me. It’s me!

  And then they were moving towards each other across the pub and a laugh was spilling out of her, a laugh of joyful recognition. ‘Hello, my love,’ she said, feeling the most overwhelming rush of joy. ‘I’m Lorna, your grandmother, and this is Roy. We’re so happy to meet you.’

  He smiled and it was like having her boy back again. Just for a moment. ‘Same,’ Leon said, then laughed and wrinkled his nose self-consciously. ‘This is strange, isn’t it? Not every day you meet someone you’re related to. Sorry, I’m babbling. Bit nervous. Would you like a drink?’

  But Roy was clapping him on the back and Lorna could see how thrilled he was, how proud he was to be meeting this handsome young man who was something of the past and something of the present – and a whole new future for them too. ‘Hello there, Leon,’ he said. ‘If anyone’s buying drinks, it’ll be us two. We’re made up, we really are. You don’t half look like your dad, you know. You must have so many questions about him, I bet! We’ve brought some photos with us, just in case you wanted to look at them . . .’

  And then they were walking together to a table in the corner, all smiling with delight at each other’s presence. For once she didn’t need to kid herself that this was going to be a good day, thought Lorna, marvelling at her grandson’s easy-going confidence, his manners as he pulled out a chair for her, drinking in every last bit of this miracle. Because she knew already – she was sure of it – that this would be a really, really good day.

  What Lucy’s fans say . . .

  ‘Wonderful characters and the stories are always great, with twists and turns’

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  About the Author

  Lucy Diamond grew up in Nottingham and has also lived in Leeds, London, Oxford and Brighton. She now lives in Bath with her husband and three children.

  An Almost Perfect Holiday is her fifteenth novel, and the idea for this particular book came to her when she was lying by a swimming pool in France, shamelessly eavesdropping on the family who were holidaying next door. She apologizes if that was you but is very grateful for all the juicy material she overheard. In fact, she couldn’t have written this one without you.

  BY THE SAME AUTHOR

  Novels

  Any Way You Want Me

  Over You

  Hens Reunited

  Sweet Temptation

  The Beach Café

  Summer with My Sister

  Me and Mr Jones

  One Night in Italy

  The Year of Taking Chances

  Summer at Shell Cottage

  The Secrets of Happiness

  The House of New Beginnings

  On a Beautiful Day

  Something to Tell You

  Novellas

  A Baby at the Beach Café

  Ebook novellas

  Christmas at the Beach Café

  Christmas Gifts at the Beach Café

  First published 2020 by Macmillan

  This electronic edition published 2020 by Macmillan

  an imprint of Pan Macmillan

  The Smithson, 6 Briset Street, London EC1M 5NR

  Associated companies throughout the world

  www.panmacmillan.com

  ISBN 978-1-5290-2699-3

  Copyright © Lucy Diamond 2020

  Cover images © Shutterstock

  The right of Lucy Diamond to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  Pan Macmillan does not have any control over, or any responsibility for, any author or third-party websites referred to in or on this book.

  You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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